Y’lan Noel is exploring a place he’s never been before in Apple TV+’s Lady in the Lake.
The former Insecure star is no stranger to capturing the hearts of audiences, having starred alongside fellow Insecure alum and creator Issa Rae, LaKeith Stanfield and Chanté Adams in The Photograph and alongside DeWanda Wise in Stella Meghie’s independent comedy film The Weekend. Now, he is taking his talents to Baltimore during the late 1960s as Ferdie Platt in Lady in the Lake, where he stars opposite Natalie Portman.
“The thing I love the most about Ferdie is that he is unwilling to compromise,” Noel told Blavity’s Shadow and Act. “He’s somebody who is, when we meet him, actively pursuing his dreams. I think that is something that I can relate to. It’s an admirable quality that I found to be very intriguing.”
“I’ve never been in the ‘60’s so deep,” he continued. “Also, he was a cop. That was interesting because, you know, my community, we have an interesting, complex sort of relationship with law enforcement, so it was the most challenging thing and also the most rewarding thing because it allowed me to sort of see law enforcement from an inside perspective.”
Set in Baltimore in 1966, Lady in the Lake follows Noel’s character, Ferdie, who is entangled in an interracial relationship with Portman’s character, Maddie Schwartz. The show hones in on the discrimination that Ferdie faces, both in society and within the police force, showcasing just how far Black people in America have come, while also holding a mirror to reflect how far we still have to go in today’s racial landscape.
“I think the thing that unites all of the characters is for whatever reason, not whatever reasons, there’s a different reason for each individual,” Noel explained. “They’re all following their dreams. We find them in the pursuit of the things that matter to them the most and yet, that’s, I think, that’s an overall theme that kind of unites everyone and certainly Ferdie.”
“The interesting thing about his relationship with Maddie, who is played by Natalie Portman so wonderfully, is I think in this time and space, he finds in her the same sort of relentless tenacity,” he continued. “I would say, finding good people to be around, that’s one thing that I do, is make sure that I’m around people who mirror my same fervor for life. That’s a part of parkour for me. And then on top of that, I mean it’s the 1960s. There’s a lot of racial tension, you know. He’s a pariah in his community. He’s a pariah because he’s a Black cop and then also at work, he’s a good cop in a force that is kind of filled with a lot of bad cops. I think it all goes back to just the fact that he has integrity, and he’s not willing to compromise.”
For Noel, the Ferdie character has taught him that sometimes standing firm in your beliefs can leave you lonely.
“What I’ve learned is that a lot of times when you stand on all 10 toes, right, you stand your ground on what it is that you believe in, it might mean that you’re lonely a little bit, and that’s okay,” the actor who graduated at the top of his class from New York University’s renowned Tisch School of the Arts’ drama department, said. “I think that sometimes the commitment to following your dreams comes with that, and it’s all right. So following my dreams and then loving hard, regardless of the consequences, that’s something I’ve learned from Ferdie and that I continue to nurture in my own life.”
No stranger to chasing his dreams, Noel said he would like to play mystical beings in the future.
“I want to play mystical beings that are either from ancient civilizations or from some distant utopian future, maybe not so utopian, I’m not sure,” he said. “I want to be an African warrior, I want to be like Black Troy, and those are the type of things I want to do. So elements of action, but sort of character-driven as well — like somewhere in the world. Those are the things I want to get to start to get involved in.”
As far as his role in Lady in the Lake, Noel said he hopes Ferdie reflects what it means to fervently follow your dreams.
“I would say follow your dreams,” Noel said. “I think he comes back to that. Because at the end of the show in life, the more you do that, the less likely there’ll be any regrets.”
Lady in the Lake drops new episodes Fridays on Apple TV+.
